Highlands kept its winning ways rolling in a 46-24 win over Little Smoky Mountain 1-A Conference rival Hiwassee Dam on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
The Highlanders improved to 2-0 overall and 2-0 in league play. Next up on the schedule is a Friday night trip to Nantahala.
“I thought we played well as a team and we had some really good stretches on offense against Hiwassee Dam,” Highlands head coach Brett Lamb said. “We knew that their big girl was going to be a handful, but we managed to contain her as best we could and our defense led to some transition opportunities on offense.”
Both teams started slow, as turnovers and fouls marked the opening four minutes. By the end of the first quarter the Highlanders built a 9-4 lead. An explosive 7-0 run in the second quarter pushed the advantage to 24-9 at the intermission.
Hiwassee Dam was able to establish its presence in the paint in the third quarter as the teams traded buckets early. Back-to-back scores from Julia Schmitt and Riley Conner put the game out of reach for Highlands early in the fourth.
Bella Wilson paced Highlands with 11 points and six rebounds. Conner added eight points and five boards. Hayley Borino and Ezra Branham each chipped in seven points in the win.
Katie Gibson led the way for Hiwassee Dam with 17 points and a game-high 20 rebounds. No other Hiwassee Dam player finished with more than two points in the game.
Highlands will travel to Nantahala on Friday with a chance to move to 3-0 in the four-team Little Smoky Mountain Conference.
“Nantahala can be a tough place to play and I expect they will come out and play hard the entire game,” Lamb said. “We need to be prepared and continue to get better every day.”
Boys basketball
Hiwassee Dam 52,
Highlands 44
Highlands couldn’t overcome a cold shooting second quarter as Hiwassee Dam handed the boys team its second defeat of 2021.
The Highlanders led 11-10 after the opening eight minutes, but were outscored 17-9 in the second.
Gig Chalker led the Highlanders with 16 points. Jeffrey Olvera added eight and Lane Tingen six in the loss.
Highlands (0-2 overall) will visit Nantahala on Friday.